Outdoors: Tooth wear reliable measure of deer’s age

Reader John Savasta shared that on Dec. 9, he took a very old buck that likely wouldn’t have made it through the winter because its teeth were totally ground down.

Deer abrade their teeth at a fairly constant rate because of the hard minerals inadvertently chewed while browsing. That abrasion can vary slightly, region by region, depending on soil types. Nevertheless, the extent of tooth wear is a deer biologist’s most reliable measure for aging.

By age 10, an age few deer achieve, all teeth will have abraded to the gum line, dooming them to starvation. Deer would certainly live much longer if they had a good dentist.

Savasta’s old buck’s rack, though an impressive 21 inches wide, had atrophied to only four points. Just a few years back, it must have been massive, as antlers typically peak in size during a buck’s prime — between 4-1/2 and 7-1/2 years old. Savasta wondered why this over-the-hill buck was still making a territorial scrape on the ground when he spotted it a full month after the rut. Outside of the breeding season, fresh scrapes and rubs are very uncommon as they have little, if any, function.

Even old bucks, however, continue to display dominance and territorial behaviors throughout their lives. It’s not at all surprising that this old geezer made his scrape exactly a month after the November rut. That behavior was a likely response to a hot doe’s monthly cycle, which regularly continues until she gets pregnant.

Although the vast majority of all does had bred during the primary early November rut, a small number of them that didn’t mate ovulated again 28 days later, attracting and exciting nearby bucks, all quite ready, able and always eager to mate. With so few does still in breeding condition then, highly competitive bucks resorted to all resources and strategies — including once again marking their territory, first clearing the ground with their hooves, then peeing and stepping in their scrapes.

By now, there are few if any mature does that haven’t gotten pregnant. If there were, they would continue ovulating every 28 days until they did get pregnant. But getting pregnant this late in the season is never desirable.

Late-conceived fawns have the extreme disadvantage of being born late. That means far less time to develop sufficiently to survive the challenges of the following winter. The genes of does with a tendency for very late breeding consequently get quickly eliminated from the gene pool, reinforcing normal November mating, which affords the best chances for fawn survival.

Many local hunters reported doing well in Vermont this season. The once-great deer hunting in the Green Mountain state is finally coming back.

According to state deer biologist Adam Murkowski, the herd, which had diminished alarmingly in recent decades, now numbers about 125,000 — larger than Massachusetts’ herd. Scientific management, the mildest winter in four decades, and an early green-up, resulted in good productivity and fawn survival this past season.

Archers benefited, tagging 20 percent more deer this year than the previous three-year average. In all, 13,850 were harvested in 2012 — about 11 percent of the population.

The low harvest numbers are attributable to unseasonably warm temperatures during moose season and lower overall population densities, which, on the positive side, make for better habitat, healthier moose and fewer collisions with vehicles.

In contrast, bear and turkey hunters did exceptionally well in 2012. Vermont’s fall turkey harvest of 1,365 birds was up 53 percent from the previous three-year average, while its harvest of 621 bears was up 20 percent compared to that same period. The big increases were due to large populations and weather.

In 2011, a huge crop of nuts and seeds kept turkeys and bears contentedly deep in forests. In 2012, a poor crop of nuts and seeds sent both species foraging out of the forest, into open corn and grass fields where hunters had much greater luck finding them.

The 2013 Vermont nonresident licenses are relatively inexpensive and provide an opportunity we don’t have in Massachusetts — Sunday hunting. An archery deer license is only $75. A regular hunting license that includes a November rifle season buck tag is just $100. Muzzleloader licenses are only an additional $40. Vermont is proving a nonresident hunters’ bargain.

Saturday and Sunday — 14th annual Rutland Sportsman’s Club ice fishing derby has been postponed because of unsafe ice. It has been rescheduled for Feb. 9-10. Info: Ronnie Howe at (774) 696-6465 or the club at (508) 886-4721.

Feb. 8-10 — New England Fishing & Outdoor Expo, DCU Center, Worcester. New leaders and seminars. Meet and learn from local and national authorities on hunting and fishing; meet outfitters to book trips; top equipment at discounted prices. Info: www.newenglandfishingexpo.com, gofishdan@davisad.com or (774) 243-1442.